Feds Arrest East Greenwich Man on Multiple Charges Tied to Las Vegas Show - Faces Up to 182 Years

Feds Arrest East Greenwich Man on Multiple Charges Tied to Las Vegas Show - Faces Up to 182 Years

An East Greenwich man was arrested Tuesday on federal charges alleging that he defrauded investors out of more than $4.2 million in connection with “Magic Mike Live,” a stage show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, according to the Justice Dept. The show was to be based on the two Magic Mike films that chronicle the life of a male stripper.

John A. Santilli Jr., 47, is named in a 10-count indictment that charges him with one count of securities fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Santilli made his initial court appearance United States District Court in Providence, where a judge ordered his release on a $100,000 bond.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he is "Producer: Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tales from the Crypt, Magic Mike Live Las Vegas." And, attended Rhode Island College.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

According to the indictment, Santilli managed and partly owned Aloris Entertainment, LLC, which acquired an interest – through securities called “Class A Units” – in Mike’s Mobile Detailing, LLC, the company that operates the Magic Mike Live show in Las Vegas. Santilli raised funds from victims by soliciting investments in “Aloris Magic Mike LP,” a different business that he falsely told investors owned the Class A Units.

Santilli allegedly lied to investors, telling them that, in return for their investment, they would receive “shares” in Aloris Magic Mike LP that corresponded to a particular number of Class A Units and entitled them to a percentage of the profits from “Magic Mike Live.” To bolster his false claims, the indictment states, Santilli used a doctored a legal document that made it appear that Aloris Magic Mike LP was a member (i.e., a shareholder) of Mike’s Mobile Detailing.

Santilli's business bio states:

MAGIC MIKE LIVE LAS VEGAS is an all-new, first-class entertainment experience based on the hit films “Magic Mike” and “Magic Mike XXL”. The show will recreate the mythical Club Domina as a cabaret nightclub space inside the Hard Rock Hotel that is being fully redesigned to capture the magnetism of the Magic Mike franchise. The state of the art venue is designed with the capabilities to house a show that features thirteen of the hottest and most talented men in the country performing in front of, behind, above and all around the audience.

Conceived by Channing Tatum and co-directed by Tatum and film franchise choreographer Alison Faulk, the show features sexy and daring themed dance and strip routines punctuated by one-of-a-kind acts from a wildly diverse cast of performers. MAGIC MIKE LIVE LAS VEGAS is a sizzling 360 degree dance and acrobatic strip tease spectacular guaranteed to bring on the heat.

The indictment also states that Santilli misappropriated a significant portion of his victims’ investments, including withdrawing more than $1 million at casinos across the United States. To raise more funds, Santilli falsely told his victims that new investment opportunities had arisen, resulting in Santilli selling shares in his businesses that corresponded to nearly double the number of Class A Units of Mike’s Mobile Detailing that his company actually owned, the indictment alleges.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted of all charges, Santilli would face a statutory maximum sentence of 182 years in prison.

The FBI is investigating this matter.